NEET-MDS 2024 Postponement: Supreme Court Asks Centre To Decide In 1 Week

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to interfere in the petition seeking postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Master in Dental Surgery Course (NEET MDS) 2024

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to interfere in the petition seeking postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Master in Dental Surgery Course (NEET MDS) 2024 and asked the Centre to take a call on the issue preferably within a week of receiving representations from the petitioners.

This came after the Centre told the top court that it is looking into the grievances of NEET-MDS candidates regarding the extension of internship deadline.

The NEET MDS test has been scheduled to take place on March 18. At present, only those candidates are eligible to take the examination who completed their internships on or before March 31. The petitioners moved the top court through a writ petition filed under Article 32, seeking directions to reschedule the NEET MDS 2024 exam and to extend the cut-off for eligibility by revising the internship completion dates. 

The petitioners argued that many candidates could not register due to internship completion dates beyond March 31. 

The NEET PG 2024 was rescheduled from March 3 to July 7 with a cut-off date of August 15. However, NEET MDS was announced on January 20 to take place on March 18, with an internship completion cut-off of March 31. The petitioners have moved the top court calling this difference in dates arbitrary.

A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra heard the matter.

The CJI while dictating order said that the cut-off for completion of internship has been fixed for March 31, whereas cut-off for NEET-PG has been fixed for August 15. Advocate Gaurav Sharma informed the top court that the Centre is already seized of the matter and has sought data from the National Dental Commission.

The Supreme Court allowed the petitioners to submit their representations to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and said that it has not expressed any opinion and it will be open to Centre to take a call.

"Since the issue of fixing cut-off date essentially pertains to policy domain, it would be more appropriate to submit a representation...Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves submits that such a representation has already been made. We direct that representation be dealt with expeditiously and preferably within a period of one week from the date of this matter. We clarify that we have not expressed any opinion and it will be open to the Union government to take a call." The court said.

 

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